Mother World
by Mooncloud9
Summary: Sora and co. face the return of the Heartless and a new enemy: Felix Riddle and his army of spectral Whispers. They're not without new allies but there's more to their two new friends than meets the eye. SoraxKairi, eventual OCxOC. T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**hi! This is my first fic so be nice to me. No flames please. **

**If you're confused, all the characters in this chapter are OCs. They will all have a roll when canon characters are introduced. **

The office was dark, except for a single lamp that cast a dim light on the desk. On the desk, various documents were stacked into neat piles. In fact, everything seemed to be in a precise order. Even the wastepaper basket seemed to be arranged just right. The only thing that seemed even the slightest bit cluttered or out of order was a single note in the center of the desk with just one word on it: _today_. And even then it was quickly thrown away by the man.

He was sitting at the desk with a look of calm anticipation on his face. He was a tall man in his mid forties and was wearing a white business suit. His black hair held a few flecks of gray and was neatly combed back. He casually stroked his goatee as he waited for whatever was coming, his icy blue eyes fixed on the door.

There was a polite knock. The man smiled and when he spoke, it was in a slightly British accent. "Enter."

The door opened and in came three figures – a man, a girl, and a dog. The man who just came in was younger than the man at the desk, only in his early thirties. He was bald and was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, even in the darkness of the office. He, like the other man, wore a business suit, only his was brown instead of white. He nodded to the man in white in a formal greeting and the man in white nodded back. Clearly they knew each other.

The man in white then turned his attention to the girl. She was about fourteen years old, but was a bit small for her age and skinny. She had thick, black hair that hung down to just below her shoulders. Her outfit wasn't as formal as the two men. In fact, she seemed to be wearing normal, everyday clothes: a teal and green-blue layered tee and a teal skirt over a pair of denim jeans and sneakers. Her misty blue eyes were full of confusion, but at the same time, curiosity.

The man in white smiled to her. "Please, have a…" He was cut off by a low growl.

It was the dog, whom he had previously ignored. She was a Labrador retriever - small but stocky and powerful. Her fur was bristling and her amber eyes were fixed on the man in white with anger and protectiveness. She crouched down, ready to spring.

But before she could do so, the girl grabbed her by the collar. "Meggie!" she snapped. The girl turned to the man in white. "I'm sorry. She's not usually like this. Normally, she's very friendly."

"Quite alright" said the man in white. He turned to the other man. "Gryphon, could you…"

"Yes Sir" said the man who was apparently called Gryphon. He took Meggie from the girl and guided it out the door, the dog whimpering all the way.

As the door shut behind them, the man in white returned his focus to the girl. "Now where were we? Oh yes. Please, have a seat, Miss Rivers."

The girl's eyes widened. "How did you know my last name?"

"I know a lot of things about you," said the man with a smirk. "You see, we have met before. You probably do not remember. It was not exactly eventful. Just a chance meeting in a park." His smirk broadened. "But I could see you had the exact qualities I was looking for - courage, determination, resourcefulness, independence – but at the same time, creativity, thoughtfulness, and intelligence," his smirk then changed to a frown. "But you left before I had a chance to talk to you."

"Qualities?" asked the girl. "What do you mean? What for?"

"Patience, Miss Rivers. And please, sit down." Rivers still hadn't settled down. Upon hearing his words, she cringed and sat on a chair on the other side of the desk.

The man continued. "I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself. My name is Felix Riddle. You may call me Riddle; it is what everyone calls me. Now, my company, RiddleCorp is actually a laboratory that studies the human mind, particularly the creative aspects."

He stood up and motioned for Rivers to do the same. "Here, let me show you." He opened a backdoor to his office.

On the other side was a huge lab, full of machines, computers, and people in lab coats. It all would have been impressive if you were ignorant to what was going on beneath the surface…

As Riddle led Rivers through the lab, she asked him again "This is all pretty cool, but what do you want _me_ for?"

He sighed and gave her the kind of look a father might give a daughter. "I will not be around forever. I want RiddleCorp to be in good hands." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to be my successor."

Shocked, Rivers took a step back. "W-What? But I don't know anything about this company except what you told me!"

"I know" Riddle smiled. "But in time you will learn all there is to know about RiddleCorp. That is, if you accept."

Rivers hesitated. "I'd rather know what I'm getting into before I make any promises."

For a split second, a flicker of annoyance showed on Riddle's face, but it left quickly. "How about I give you a little taste of what we can do?"

He led her to the back of the lab and to a door labeled: _Top Secret, Do Not Open_. After toying with it's multiple locks, Riddle opened the door and what was on the other side made Rivers give out a small, frightened gasp.

It was a boy, about a year older than Rivers, but he was stiff and still, as if a statue. Not even his snowy blonde hair seemed to move at a small draft. He was wearing a black hoodie with a pair of ragged, torn jeans. He had several scars, showing a rough life. But his most distinguishing features were his eyes – twin violet pools that had a seemingly unnatural glaze in his petrified state.

When Rivers recovered from the shock she managed to stammer to Riddle, "Is he…"

"No, he's not dead," Riddle replied in a casual tone. "I told you RiddleCorp is about the mind. We recently made a breakthrough. This boy was the test subject. As you can see, it was a complete success."

The expression on Rivers' face was a mixture of fear and disgust. "You _wanted_ that to happen? What about _him_? His _family_? His _friends_?"

Riddle spoke again in his casual tone, comparable to someone commenting on the weather. "He did not have either. Both his parents were dead. He was an only child. He did not have any other relatives. He lived on the streets of New York City as a criminal. As for friends, I do not think even the other members of his gang cared about him that much. No one was sad to see him go."

"But back to business, now that you've seen what we can do, do you not want that power on your side? Will join us?" It wasn't a request; it was a threat.

Rivers met his gaze evenly and politely, shook her head.

Riddle shook his head too. "I am so sorry. You don't have a choice now. You know too much." He snapped his fingers, and four people in business suits appeared seemingly out of nowhere, one of them being Gryphon. Each of them was armed with particularly dangerous looking weapons. They surrounded the girl, but didn't attack, waiting for a signal.

"Last chance" said Riddle. "What you believe to be right, or what's easy? The road to your destination or the path of safety?" His mouth twisted into a sadistic smirk. "So Miss Rivers, what's it going to be?"

**What do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2: Dawn of Darkness

_Chapter deux is up!!!_

Squall Leonhart, or Leon as he preferred to be called, was walking back to the Restoration Committee's headquarters. It was a warm September afternoon, the kind of day where everything just seems perfect. And, to Leon, it may as well have been

Well, the morning hadn't been _completely_ perfect. Yuffie had been teasing him nonstop about his upcoming date with his girlfriend, Rinoa. Cid and Merlin got into their fifth technology vs. magic argument that month. And to top it all off, a man named Amarant Coral had been picking fights in the streets and it had taken the Committee two hours to calm him down before things got too violent.

But all those things had been taken care of. After a full morning of annoyance, he sent Yuffie to patrol the canyon and he hadn't seen his pesky assistant since. Cid and Merlin's argument resolved itself when the later turned Cid into a toad. And Amarant had received several warnings and Leon thought (or at least hoped) he wouldn't be much trouble for a while.

But the best part was that there hadn't been even the smallest trace of Heartless in Radiant Garden for months. It seemed the world would finally get the peace it deserved. As he breathed the autumn air he reflected on how much Radiant Garden had endured and wondered where all the suffering had began. Historical documents referenced a Keyblade war, but details were sketchy at best.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a dog barking. And sure enough, out of an alley came a brown Labrador retriever. She ran straight for Leon whimpering urgently.

Before he could react, she seized his sleeve in her teeth and started to tug. The message was crystal clear. She wanted him to fallow her.

The dog sprinted ahead and Leon struggled to keep up. Judging by her behavior, someone was hurt and she had gone to get help. Several times, he lost sight of the lab and panicked that he wouldn't find her again. But she'd always show up just around the corner, waiting, before dashing off again.

Upon entering the bailey, Leon saw what the hurry was about. The dog trotted over to an unconscious teenager. The Labrador was desperately licking her face and sniffing her all over. The girl didn't even flinch.

Leon pushed the dog away to get a better look at the girl. Thankfully, her breathing was steady and her pulse was normal. But it was puzzling as well. There were no signs of a struggle and nothing to suggest how she got knocked out.

He sighed. He wasn't an expert on this. Maybe Aerith could help her. He gently lifted her off the ground and carried her to the headquarters, the dog trotting after him.

The headquarters were in a small cottage that belonged to the wizard, Merlin. Decorated with an odd assortment of items, one could guess this wasn't an ordinary cottage. Especially since said items had a tendency to move around by themselves. But the Restoration Committee was used to this. In fact, they got a little nervous when they didn't.

The items hadn't stopped moving that day, but they were definitely moving less than usual. As Aerith looked over the girl, an eerie silence filled the room.

"I don't know about you guys," said Cid, finally breaking the quiet, "but this doesn't feel right to me. I mean, since when do kids… ah! Get off me you stupid mutt!" The dog who guided Leon to the girl had leaped over to him and was enthusiastically licking his face.

Aerith turned to Leon. "She seems fine. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up." She looked back at the girl, head tilted slightly in curiosity and confusion.

"Something troubling you?" asked Leon.

"It's just…" Aerith furrowed her brow. "Something about her is just… different. I can't quite put my finger on it, but…"

At that moment the door burst open and standing there was Yuffie. "The Heartless are back!" she panted. "I saw, like, fifty of them in the canyon. I think more are coming…" She then noticed the girl. "Who's she?"

"We'll find out when she wakes up," said Merlin. "Now, what were you saying about the Heartless?"

But the girl began to stir. Her misty blue eyes opened a crack and she managed to croak. "Where… am I? W-What happened?" She saw Aerith. "Mom?"

Aerith patted her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not your mom." With a grin she added "Don't worry, people call me that all the time."

"What's your name?" Leon asked as he rejoined them.

But the girl was already slipping back into unconsciousness. "E-Echo… Riv…" and she was out again.

Aerith nodded solemnly. "She just needs more rest. We should put her in the back room."

"HELLO PEOPLE!!!" Yuffie butted in. "As I was saying, the Heartless are back! And they aren't our only problem now!" She took a breath. "I saw some weird… things on my way back. They looked like ghosts. They were covered in chains and they always made this strange whispering sound. When they saw me, they attacked me! I saw my life flash before my eyes. Only, it wasn't my life…"

Leon sighed. "The Heartless are bad enough, but now these things! We'll need a miracle."

"Or Sora," Yuffie chimed in. "Whichever comes first."

However, no one noticed the girl, Echo, opened an eye. It flickered from side to side nervously, before closing again.

Meanwhile, at RiddleCorp, Riddle and Gryphon were in a discussion.

"Why there?" asked Gryphon.

"I thought it would be obvious" Riddle replied.

Gryphon nodded and blinked thoughtfully. "But, why did you send the Whispers?"

"If they stir up trouble," Riddle explained, "it might persuade Miss Rivers to join us. Plus, I need them to find the Shards. You know how important they are to the plan, Gryphon. I'll go myself if I have to."

Gryphon cleared his throat. "The subjects of Project Inmind have some unusual side effects."

Riddle smirked. "Perfect."

_There is not Radiant Garden. If you're wondering what Riddle wants and how Echo is different, let's just say it's all connected. _


	3. Chapter 3: Calling Again

**Sorry I haven't updated. I'm a bad procrastinator. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy! **

Sora let out a defeated sigh as he pulled on the chocobo suit. For the eighth time, the sixteen-year-old Keyblade master asked himself, _"Why the heck am I doing this?" _

And for the eighth time, he remembered the answer. _"The bet." _

At the blitzball tournament the previous week, Sora and Riku had made a bet on which team would win, the looser having to put on a chocobo suit and parade around the little island chanting, "Kweh, kweh, kweh". Both Sora and Riku's teams had made it to the finals and, though it was a very close game, Riku's team managed to win in sudden death. And a bet's a bet, so…

Sora had put it off as long as possible but procrastinating is a bit difficult when all your friends keep telling you to stop stalling. Yes, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Kairi knew about the bet too, meaning they were waiting for him as well. If there was one person he _didn't_ want to see him in a chocobo suit, it was Kairi.

On the bright side, it had been almost a year since he defeated Xemnas and Organization XIII fell. He had enjoyed almost a year of peace. He had gone back to living as he had before the fateful night when he acquired the Keyblade and the Islands were consumed by darkness. It all seemed so long ago…

Of course, some things _had_ changed. Riku, though he had regained some of his old humor and competitiveness, was much more quiet and serious. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, though still his friends, had become more distant. And of course, there were the rumors.

No one but Sora, Riku, and Kairi was sure _what _had happened the night the dark storm came. All anyone could remember was waking up in a bit of a daze, as stars rained down from the sky. Kairi was found alone on the small island the next day but the two boys had disappeared. As the months went by, people started to forget Sora, but it was strange because it hadn't been long and no one had any trouble remembering Riku. Then suddenly, the memories came back all at once. It wasn't long after that when Kairi disappeared too. Some had reported seeing a strange, redheaded man the day she was last seen. Then, a few days later, they all showed up, perfectly fine. The threesome never said _anything_ about their adventures to anyone else, which only increased the curiosity. Rumors were flying everywhere, each one more far-fetched than the last. But nothing was ever confirmed.

Well, by now the suit was on and there was no turning back. After a tearful goodbye to his pride and dignity, he stumbled towards his peers.

After a good laugh from everyone, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie went home. Riku and Kairi however, stayed behind to help their friend out of the costume.

"I'm _never_ doing that again," Sora grumbled as he threw the chocobo suit into the ocean where it would (hopefully) never be seen again.

"I thought you looked cute," Kairi giggled. Sora felt his face go red. He just hoped no one noticed.

Riku looked at the setting sun. "It'll be dark soon. We'd better head back." He grinned at his two friends. "Race you to the boats."

All three broke into a run. It was nice to just joke around and have fun. Just like the old days…

But when they arrived at their boats, they all halted suddenly. Their eyes widened at what they saw. In all their journey, they had never seen anything like what was before them.

About seven silvery blue, semi-transparent figures stood between them and the shore. Each one was a different age. Sora could spot an old man, a girl of about six or seven, and a woman in her early twenties among the group. But the strangest thing of all about them was the expression on each of their faces. Each one was filled with sadness and regret, as if none of them wanted to do what they were doing.

"What are they?" Riku wondered aloud as he, Sora, and Kairi summoned their Keyblades.

"Are they ghosts?" Kairi said, voicing her own bewilderment.

The old man stepped forward, his wispy face just as sad and regretful as his companions. He let out what looked like a sigh, and looked at Sora right in the eyes.

At once, the Key-bearer's mind was filled with images that flashed by so fast he couldn't be sure what he'd seen. But he also heard voices – random snippets of conversation, but clear enough to understand. _"We all have the power, you're no exception…" "I know you don't believe, but do this for Tawnya's sake" "Take care of her, my daughter" It_ all ended with a high pitch screech, a cry of pain, and a cruel, maniacal laugh.

Sora snapped back to reality to see the old man silently beckoning them to go with the specters. He still had the same look as before, if anything, it seemed worse.

Riku and Kairi looked to him for a decision. He hesitated. Why should he trust them? It didn't even look like they trusted themselves. Except for the young woman. Her former expression had been wiped from her face to be replaced with a look of determination.

Before Sora could even think about reacting she darted forward with surprising speed and went strait through him. The Key-bearer suddenly felt week in the knees. His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. The last thing he heard was Kairi calling to him before he slipped into unconsciousness.

**Gasp! Sora, no! Don't worry, I haven't killed him... yet! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! **


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams of What?

**I'm back! Sorry, I procrastinate. But here's chapter four! **

Dizzy and disoriented, it took Sora a few minutes before he could take in his surroundings. But once his head stopped spinning, he realized he was in a living room of some sort. It didn't look too fancy, but definitely comfortable. The floor was covered with a shabby-looking rug with several holes; whether some moths had gotten a hold of the rug or it was simply worn out over time, Sora couldn't tell. The room was also full of mismatched, moth-eaten armchairs and a sofa. A fireplace, full of ash and soot, stood on one side. In the far corner there was a mini grand piano, worse for the wear but still playable. There were no electrical lights, but sunlight flittered through beautiful stained-glass windows casting colorful shapes across the room and giving it a strangely pleasant feel.

And then he realized he wasn't alone. Sitting in one of the armchairs was an old man and on the floor, staring at the old man was a girl about four years old. Neither seemed to have noticed him.

"Er… Sorry" Sora said thinking they'd have seen him sooner or later. But neither man nor girl seemed to have noticed him. Thinking the old man might have gone deaf and the girl was simply too intent on whatever she was doing to have heard him, he came closer and tapped the man on the shoulder.

And when he did, his hand just phased through. Sora recoiled in shock but the old man and the girl still didn't notice him and continued with whatever they were doing which to Sora resembled a staring contest.

Now that he was close enough to see, Sora realized the old man was the same old man who had wanted him to go with the ghosts! But he wasn't spectral or ghostly anymore. He looked just like any other human. In ghost form, colors weren't visible on them but now Sora could see that his gray hair had hints of chestnut in it and behind his corkscrew glassed, his eyes were dark brown. He was a stocky little man and aside from the obvious, the only major difference between his ghost and human forms was that as a human, he looked plumper and healthier.

He didn't recognize the girl, but she still seemed vaguely familiar to him. She was stocky like the old man and her hair was long and a nice shade of tawny. Her eyes were hazel and were fixed determinedly at the old man's brown ones. Sora wasn't sure why but she reminded him of an eagle, perched and ready to dive.

The girl spoke in a determined tone that sounded humorous coming from someone so young. "You promised, Grandpa."

The old man – the girl's grandfather – sighed. "I don't know, Tawnya. You're a bit young. Maybe in a few years…"

But Tawnya persisted. "You promised tonight."

The grandfather shook his head, but more in defeat than defiance. "Fine, you win. I'll tell you the story tonight."

"Yay!" Tawnya cheered as she settled down to hear the story.

Her grandfather chuckled. "Well, a promise is a promise." He cleared his throat and began the story.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl. Her name was Ruby. She was brave and kind, but curious and easily distracted. One day, she was playing hide-and-seek with her friends and was the seeker…"

"Did she find the snitch?" asked Tawnya with a mischievous grin.

"Your mother's been reading Harry Potter to you again hasn't she?" her grandfather teased. Tawnya just shrugged innocently and her grandfather continued the story.

"Anyway, as you can imagine, she got distracted and wandered over to a stream and there she found a golden locket. In the locket was a riddle."

"A riddle?" asked Tawnya wide-eyed.

"Yes, a riddle," her grandfather answered. "It was engraved on the locket. It said, '_The beast in the heart comes in all different forms but the power is the same, You will be guided to your heart's power if you play the game, Go child of the Mother World_'. Now Ruby brought a book with her, for she loved to read. And as she read the riddle, a gust of wind blew the book open, and Ruby was sucked into the book's world."

Tawnya gasped.

"Ruby had to work with the characters she had read about to save their world. And she did that, but at a terrible price. She died to save them all."

"She _died?_" Tawnya said shocked.

"Yes, she died. But a part of her lived on. This part of her split into three and went into three different people. These people became 'Masters of Fantasy'."

"Masters of Fantasy?" Tawnya echoed.

"Three people with complete control of the worlds of fantasy. Most Masters aren't aware of their powers. You see, the original three lived long lives and eventually died of old age so their powers were passed on."

There was silence, then Tawnya asked, "How does someone become a Master of Fantasy?"

"That's a good question," said her grandfather frowning. "It's hard to say because, like I said, most people don't know if they're Masters or not. From what I understand you have to either be born a Master, or you have to kill a current Master."

"Are you a Master?" asked Tawnya.

Her grandfather shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. But I believe our family is descended from one of the original Masters."

Before Tawnya could reply, a woman walked into the room. At first, Sora thought she was the young ghost woman, but then he saw she was a bit older and had a slightly rounder face. And now that he thought about it, Sora realized he had seen her as one of the other ghosts. She looked a lot like the girl with the same build and tawny hair. But her hair was tied back in a ponytail unlike the girl who had just let it hang down and her eyes were dark brown like the girl's grandfather instead of hazel like the girl. Sora guessed she was the girl's mother and the grandfather's daughter.

She spoke quickly and directly, but gently. "All right Tawny, it's past your bedtime."

"Aww…" Tawnya huffed as she marched away.

As she left the room, the world around Sora seemed to fade away. The faces and the room disappeared. The sounds seemed to muffle themselves until there was nothing but silence.

And then the silence was broken by several voices. "Sora?"

"C'mon, wake up."

"WAAKKK!"

**There you go! And can people please review me? Constructive criticism is appreciated but no flames please. **


	5. Chapter 5: Reflections and Regret

**And here's the next chapter. I've got to stop procrastinating... **

"WAAKK!"

"Ah!" Sora grunted as he clutched his ears. What just happened? Whoever was quacking in his ear had better…

Wait a minute. Quack?

"Gwarsh, he's okay!" said another familiar voice.

"Thank goodness."

"Maybe we should've let him sleep a little more…"

Sora blinked open his eyes to see Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy kneeling beside him. He found he was not lying on the sandy beach where he fell, but on a comfortable bed in a somewhat familiar room. He realized he was inside a gummi ship.

"What happened?" he asked placing a hand on his head. For some reason, he felt kind of dizzy.

"After you passed out," Riku began, "one of the Whispers…"

"Whispers?" Sora echoed.

Kairi was the one who explained. "It's what those ghost things are called. It's what they call themselves. The King told us."

"The King's here?"

"Yup!" Goofy answered with a guffaw. "He's pilotin' the gummi."

"There were Whispers at Disney Castle as well" Donald added. "His Majesty sensed trouble, so he went to get you."

"Back to topic" Riku continued with a bit of impatience in his tone, "One of the Whispers seemed to… er, actually I'm not sure what happened. She seemed to be arguing with the Whisper who knocked you out. We couldn't hear what they were saying, but they looked like they were yelling at the top of their lungs." He scratched the back of his head, his expression confused and a bit awkward. "It was kind of weird watching them. Almost like someone had turned off the sound."

"I guess that's why they're called Whispers," Kairi piped in. "They barely make any noise."

Riku nodded in agreement and continued. "After a while the old Whisper, their leader, seemed to break things up. Then they… well… let's just say if Donald, Goofy and the King hadn't arrived…" he suddenly seemed at loss for words. The dark Key-bearer seemed to be avoiding eye contact but Sora could tell from his hunched position that he was upset, maybe even guilty. Kairi suddenly seemed very intent on bit of lint she had been fiddling with in her lap, although she occasionally risked a sad glance at the Keyblade master. Donald and Goofy cast nervous looks at Sora, then Riku, then Kairi, then at each other, and finally back to Sora.

At first, he was puzzled by their behavior. But gradually the pieces fell into place in his mind and he did not like the picture they formed. His heart sank like a stone and he could literally the color draining from his face.

"They destroyed the Islands…" It was all he could say. The Key-bearer collapsed on his bed. Staring at he ceiling, one thought was in his mind. He'd failed. It was his fault. He should've protected them better. And now he'd lost his home a second time.

When interrogated about it, he just told his friends that he'd had a weird dream when the Whisper knocked him out. Even if he wasn't feeling so guilty, that probably would've been all he'd tell them. It didn't even make sense to him and he was the one who had the stupid vision!

Later, he was dimly aware of everyone leaving. He could hear their four sets of footsteps slowly walking out the door. But the last set seemed to halt just at the doorway. Risking a glace, Sora saw Kairi watching him from where she stood, her expression filled with worry. For a moment, the two made eye contact. Then Kairi turned and left leaving Sora strangely disappointed.

Meanwhile, the gummi sped on to Radiant Garden, where the real adventure is about to begin.

**Things are going to get interesting soon... **


	6. Chapter 6: Echo

**And here's chapter six! Wow, I'm working hard on a fanfic that no one's reviewing (hint hint). **

Upon arriving at the headquarters of the Restoration committee, Sora and co were surprised to be greeted not by Leon or Cid or anyone they knew, but by a complete stranger.

She was perched on a chair, nose in a book, and only looked up when she heard the door shut. Peaking over the pages, she regarded Sora and co with mild surprise before putting her book down and walking over to them.

She was a few years younger than Sora. Small and slight, she had dark hair that hung down to her shoulders. Her face held curiosity and respect.

"Hi," she said. "You're Sora, right?"

"Err… yeah." Sora wondered how this strange girl could know his name.

That question was quickly answered. "Leon told me about you." She politely extended her hand to shake. "I'm Echo by the way. I've been doing odd jobs for the Restoration Committee." They shook hands and then she regarded his company. "And I guess these are your friends: Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey" she said as she shook hands with each of them in turn.

Before they could get into any form of conversation, an angry scream from nearby that sounded something like this:

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!"

At that moment, Echo suddenly seemed awkward and eager to get away. "Well it was nice meeting you and I'd love to stay and chat but I've got to run for my life… I mean deliver a package. See ya!" And with that, she was off.

Approximately fifteen seconds later, Leon stormed into the room with a rather ticked expression and a magic marker moustache on his face. Not even pausing to give his guests a proper greeting, he asked a very simple question. "WHERE. IS. SHE???!!!"

Putting A and B together and not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. Sora and co. pointed in the general direction Echo went. Leon went charging off after her mutter under his breath things like, "Never should've taken her in, " and "Gonna kill the little twerp this time…"

There was silence, then Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Merlin joined them. After the formal intros were done, the subject wandered to Echo.

"Don't worry, she does things like that to him all the time" Aerith reassured them.

"Hey!" Yuffie piped in. "She didn't do it alone. I supplied her with the magic marker!" said the ninja rather proudly.

"He probably won' catch 'er" Cid muttered. "Doesn' usually. She's just too damn fast for 'im. An' when he does, she usually gets off easy."

Speak of the devil, just then the group heard voices coming from somewhere nearby.

"Gotcha!"

"Ah! No! It wasn't me! I mean it wasn't my fault! It's Yuffie's. She _knows_ I can't resist the temptation!"

Yuffie's eyes widened. "That little rat…" and she was out of there.

"Wait, how long has she been here?" Riku inquired.

Merlin glanced at a calendar on the wall. "About three weeks now."

"An' she's made it 'er mission to make Leon's life livin' hell" growled the gummi expert.

The air was punctuated by a cry of, "Ow! Leggo my ear! This is child abuse! I'll sue!"

Soon Leon was dragging his tormentor by the earlobe while she cried, "WWWAAAHHH!!! Squall's a meanie!"

"That's Leon!" he growled as he shoved her onto a chair. "And this" he said pointing to his new facial "hair" "had better come off!"

"Relax, it's washable" Echo grumbled. "Even _I'm _not evil enough to do anything _permanent._"

Leon sighed. "Echo, you've crossed the line…"

"How? By messing with your beautiful face? _I _thought it was an improvement." The girl's response was met by stifled giggles throughout the room…

…which Leon silenced with a warning glare. "So now I've got to punish you."

"Bring it on!" she challenged.

"First, as of now you're banned from going within three feet of a magic marker."

"Fine" Echo grumbled.

"Second, starting the day after tomorrow your training is going to intensify. If you're doing this 'cause you're bored, you won't have an excuse."

"All work and no play make Echo a dull girl…" This was also met by fits of laughter until the prankster realized something. "Wait, why the day _after_ tomorrow? Why not tomorrow?"

"I was just getting to that," Leon continued. "Thirdly and finally, you are going to spend tomorrow locked in your room listening to music."

"That's a punishment?" Echo asked shocked. "Heck, I _like _music and you know it. If that's your idea of punishment I'd love to see your rewards!"

"Oh, I forgot to mention" said Leon as almost an afterthought. "The music you'll be listening to is by Coheed and Cambria."

"No!" she gasped as she dashed behind Aerith. "Not them. _Anything _but them…"

Confused as her friends were, Kairi asked "What's so bad about this band?"

"Nightmares…" was all Echo could say.

"I'm gonna go wash my face" Leon muttered. "I'm meeting Rinoa at seven."

After he left, Donald asked a perfectly innocent question. "Who's Rinoa?"

"His girlfriend." The group turned to see Echo smirking.

"He's got a girlfriend?" Sora said slightly taken aback. He had never really imagined the leader of the Restoration committee with a girlfriend.

"Aren' cha in enough trouble?" Cid grumbled.

Echo shrugged. "Yeah. But then again, _no one _makes me listen to Coheed and Cambria and gets away with it! This means war!"

"But didn't you promise Leon you wouldn't tell anyone?" Aerith pointed out. "Are you about to go back on a promise?"

"I didn't go back on any promise" said Echo defensively. "All I promised was that I wouldn't say the 'n' word."

Upon seeing the confused expressions of Sora and co, Merlin filled them in. "It's nothing. She said she wouldn't say nothing."

Leon then walked back into the room. "We've got trouble. Another fight's broken out."

Aerith looked up. "Again?"

"That's the third goddamn time this month" Cid grumbled.

"I'm guessing Mr. Coral is behind this" inquired Merlin

Leon nodded. "Yeah. Picked a fight with some kid. We'd better go break it up." Addressing Sora and co, he said "You're coming too. There's something I want to show you on the way."

Echo was slumped down looking glum. Obviously she assumed she wasn't invited. But she got a surprise when Leon muttered, "You can come to."

Excited, she dashed off to get ready for the trouble ahead.

**And Echo has been formally introduced! She's not that annoying with most people. She's just like that with Squall, I mean Leon. Guess it's her way of getting him to loosen up. **

**I must say I'm proud of this chapter, but not the ending so much. I kind of rushed it. **


End file.
